Dr. Mattison says that God welcomes us back even when we get caught up in lesser things and lose sight of what life is really about. He also says that lots of different kinds of joy are all signs of God’s presence. What advice would you give for remaining mindful of the joyful signs of God’s presence?

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My advice would be to thank God for all of the blessings you have experienced in your life, rather than focusing on what doesn’t seem to be going as well or what seems to be missing. It can be as simple as thanking him for the new day before you or for giving you another day in your life to do his will in the world. It can be thanking him for the people in your life that make you truly happy and love you with a love that resembles his love for us. It can be hard to understand why something troubling in life is happening, but just trust that God is with you through it all and will help you rise above the challenge. Look back on past grievances and reflect on what the lesson you learned from that experience was, and how your relationship with God has grown since then. The way to maintain any healthy relationship is through communication and God wants to talk to you regularly. I promise you that by having an open and honest dialogue with God and recognizing all of the ways his grace gives you resilience you will be ever mindful of his joyful and loving presence in your life.

Be, dude; just be. That’s the best advice I can give. Take some time to meditate and bring yourself back to the present moment. No need to think of the to-do lists or what the plan is for tomorrow. Just sit and focus on your body, your existence, and everything around you at this very moment, the trees, the cars, heck even the air conditioner if you’re inside. Once you are able to be mindful of all of that, then you will see that everything around you is truly beautiful and truly full of God’s joy. It’s a wonderful practice and a wonderful feeling. Try it.